There has been a lot of discussion since Athens about foreign swimmers training in the United States. Most of them attend U.S. Universities, receive athletic scholarships, and compete at NCAA's. Some notable examples include Duje Draganja (Cal), Fred Bousquet and Kirsty Coventry (Auburn), Markus Rogan (Stanford), and the South African sprinters (Arizona). Some train in the U.S., but don't compete for a university (Inge de Bruijn). All of these athletes benefit from U.S. coaching, from training with U.S. swimmers, and in some cases, from financial support provided by U.S. entities (athletic scholarships). They all turn around and then win medals for other countries.
A couple questions: 1) What do you think about this arrangement generally? 2) Is it of benefit or detriment to U.S. swimming to have these foreign athletes training and competing here? 3) Should we be giving athletic scholarships, which are a scarce resource in swimming, to foreign athletes who will represent their own countries internationally instead of U.S.-born swimmers who will represent us internationally?
I'm sure there are other issues, but these come directly to mind.
Parents
Former Member
Tracey, how exactly is your tax money involved if USC or Harvard gives a swimming scholarship to a South African? I'm assuming you pay taxes to GA (or perhaps some other State if you are active military stationed in GA). Please tell me again, how do decisions by the University of Minnesota swim team affect your tax bill?
Aquageek, you have raised another excellent point. Assume for the moment that not every U.S. swimmer with potential to get a scholarship has a realistic shot of making the Olympics. (I think that is a very solid assumption.) What is the best method for improving the U.S. scholarship swimmers who do have a realistic shot? Is it adding more U.S. citizens to the NCAAs--people who they will trounce without too much trouble? Or, is it regular competition against the best in the world? You seem to argue the latter, and I'm inclined to agree.
Finally, what is so special about being almost, but not quite, fast enough to beat out the foreign competition for a swimming scholarship? These folks were rewarded for being faster than anyone else in their swim league, period. No style points or compelling life stories were factored in. Why is it they can't live with that same rule now that they are on the other side of the cut line?
Matt
Tracey, how exactly is your tax money involved if USC or Harvard gives a swimming scholarship to a South African? I'm assuming you pay taxes to GA (or perhaps some other State if you are active military stationed in GA). Please tell me again, how do decisions by the University of Minnesota swim team affect your tax bill?
Aquageek, you have raised another excellent point. Assume for the moment that not every U.S. swimmer with potential to get a scholarship has a realistic shot of making the Olympics. (I think that is a very solid assumption.) What is the best method for improving the U.S. scholarship swimmers who do have a realistic shot? Is it adding more U.S. citizens to the NCAAs--people who they will trounce without too much trouble? Or, is it regular competition against the best in the world? You seem to argue the latter, and I'm inclined to agree.
Finally, what is so special about being almost, but not quite, fast enough to beat out the foreign competition for a swimming scholarship? These folks were rewarded for being faster than anyone else in their swim league, period. No style points or compelling life stories were factored in. Why is it they can't live with that same rule now that they are on the other side of the cut line?
Matt
